Steam-generator.



No. 831,417. PATENTBD SEPT. 18, 1906.

T. GLARKSON.

STEAM GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.2,1906.

.THE NORRIS PETERS ca, wAsnmnromut c.

THOMAS OLARKSON, OF OHELMSFORD, ENGLAND.

STEAM-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18, 1906.

Application filed January 2,1906. Serial No. 294,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS CLARKsoN, a subject of the King of England,residing at Chelmsford, in the county of Essex, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Steam-Genera tors,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to steamgenera tors, and has for its object toconstruct one which is more particularly suitable for use onmotor-vehicles and the like.

According to this invention, which refers to generators of the coil orflash type, the coils are so arranged that they in themsvlves serve totrap the steam and prevent it from rising to the water-inlet end of thegenerator. In one form the generator comprises aconveniently-cylindrical casing, within -which are superimposed a seriesof spiral or involute coils of tubing, each coil being formed conical toa greater or less extent, as found desirable. The apices of the conicalcoils may be directed either upward or downward, but preferably upward.Water is introduced at the lowest convolution of the uppermost coil, theuppermost convolution of this coil being connected with the lowermostconvolution of the conical coil next beneath it. All the coils aresimilarly connected together, steam being withdrawn from the uppermostconvolution of the lowest coil. It will thus be seen that water andsteam pass through the generator as a whole in a direction contrary tothat in which the hot gases pass through the genera tor-casing aroundthe coils. Alternatively the circulation may be partially in an oppositedirection and partially in the same direction as the hot gases. Eachconical coil forms a trap which will prevent steam from rising to theupper coils when the throttle-valve or steam-outlet from the boiler isclosed. 1

The coils of tubing may be supported within the casing in various ways,as by annular brackets formed on the wall of the casing or otherwise, asfound convenient. Preferably, however, the following device is used: Twosteel strips of suitable dimensions are riveted or otherwise fastenedtogether about their center and then bent so as to form an X- shapedfigure. The ends of the members of this X are bent round and riveted orotherwise secured to the wall of the generator-casing. The strips ofwhich the spring-pieces are made are so shaped that each support willlie in the conical space between two adjacent coils of tube and theedges of the metal strips may be notched so as to receive theconvolutions of these coils, and thus retain them in their properpositions, while keeping each coil as a whole at its proper distancefrom the adjacent coils.

The convolutions of the several conical coils are conveniently sorelatively arranged that they alternate, thus breaking up the passagethrough which the hot gases have to pass and insuring an evendistribution and:

absorption of heat.

It is convenient in many cases to have the generator combined with adevice which will enable the heat-supply thereto to be regulated inaccordance with the temperature of the contents of the generator.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a sectionalelevation and plan of a preferred embodiment of this invention.

The generator, according to this embodiment, comprises a series ofsimilar conical coils A, having the apices or narrow parts of the coilsdirected upward. The Water enters the coils at athat is to say, at thelowest convolution of the uppermost coiland after circulating throughthis coil passes from the apex thereof downwardly by a pipe A to thelower convolution of the second coil, and after passing through thiscoil is led from the top thereof by a similar pipe A to the lowerconvolution of the third coil, and

so on until it reaches the lowermost convolution of the lowest coil. Thecoils are all similarly connected, as shown, and the.generator may beconstructed of a single length of tubing. The diameter of the coil maybe the same throughout, but-preferably the diameter is increased'towardthe lower part of the generator, as shown at a, and still farther downat the hottest part the thickness of the metal is also increased, asshown at a The coils being so arranged and the fluid always entering atthe lower part of a coil and passing therefrom at the upper part by atube which extends downward to the lower convolution of the next coil,the coils each serve in themselves to trap steam and prevent it risingto the water-inlet end of the generator, as above stated, the resultbeing obtained without the employment of any extra steam-trappingdevice. The steam is with drawn or taken out from the lower end of thegenerator, and therefore does not pass through the cool gases, but outof the hot level of the generator.

The pipes A serve also as distance-pieces between theadjacent coils, andthese pipes are arranged or staggered so that one pipe A isapproximately diametrically opposite to the next pipe A.

Between the coils and at the side opposite to that along which the pipesA extend distance-pieces C are introduced, as shown at the lower part ofthe generator in Fig. 1, the remaining distance-pieces being omittedfrom the drawings for the sake of clearness. These distance-pieces canbe connected to the convolutions of the coils in any convenient manner;

B is the surrounding casing for the generator and is situated above theburner.

The water can be led to the upper end of the generator in anyappropriate way but preferably there is arranged in the lower part aheating-coil H, through which the water is first led and from which itpasses by a pipe H to the upper coil A.

The parts are kept in position by a fourarmed support D, situated belowthe lowermost coil, and by plates G, resting on the upper coil. Theseparts are bound together by a bolt E, which extends through the supportD and a cap F, which rests on the plates G, the upper end of the boltbeing screwthreaded to receive a nut E.

It is preferable to use a thermostatic regulator of any appropriateconstruction to control the heat-supply in accordance with thetemperature of the contents of the generator. Such a regulator isillustrated more or lessconventionally in Fig. 1. The regulator showncomprises two concentricallyarranged tubes K L, having substantially thesame coeflicient of expansion, the free ends of said tubes beingconnected by a third concentrically-arranged tube M, the coefli cient ofexpansion of which is negligible. Connected with the outer tube L is arod N, adapted to control, through any suitable means, (not shown,) theburner in accordance with the expansion of said tube. The steam is ledto the regulator preferably from the pipe A at the lowest end of thegenerator, and after passing through the regulator enters the generatorproper by the pipe A whence it passes through the coil A and is led fromthe upper end of this coil to the throttle by the pipe A The coil Aserves as a superheating-coil.

When the generator is composed of a number of separate coils, these maybe joined in any appropriate manner. Preferably the joints are welded.With reference to the coils at the lower or hotter end of the generatorit is preferable to make a joint which can readily be broken to permit aburned-out coil to be removed and a new one inserted. The ends of thesecoilsthat is to say, the part containing the jointare preferably carriedoutside the casing, as shown in Fig. 2

I and connected by a nut-union a What I claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of straight tubes connecting the upperconvolution of each coil withthe lower convolution'of the coil nextbelow it for the purpose described.

2. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of straight tubes directly connecting the upperconvolution of each coil with the lower convolution of the coil nextbelow it, for the purpose described.

3. In a steam-generator, the combination w th a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of tubes connecting the upper convolution of eachcoil with the lower convolution of the coil next below it, a cylindricalcoil situated at the lower end of the generator, a pipe connecting thiscoil with the lower convolution of the topmost coil of the generator, awater-inlet to the lower convolution of the cylindrical coil, and asteam-exit from the upper convolution of the lowermost conical coil,substantially as set forth.

4. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of tubes connecting the upper convolu' tion ofeach coil with the lower convolution of the coil next below it, acylindrical coil situated at the lower end of the generator, a pipeconnecting this coil with the lower convolution of the topmost coil ofthe generator, a water-inlet to the lower convolution of the cylindricalcoil, a steam-exit from the upper convolution of the lowermost conicalcoil,.

means for holdingthe conical coils in place, and an inclosing casing forall the coils, substantially as set forth.

5. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of tubes connecting the upper convolution of acoil with the lower convolution of the coil next beneath it and actingalso as distance pieces between the coils, and distance-pieces arrangedbetween the coils diametrically opposite to the connecting-tubes,substantially as set forth.

6. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of similarsuperimposed conical coils and tubes connecting the upper convolution ofa coil with the lower convolution of the coil next beneath it and alsoacting as distance-pieces between the coils, of distancepiecesdiametrically opposite to the connecting-tubes, a supporting-piecebeneath the lowest coil, confining-plates bearing on the topmost coil, acap and a bolt passing through the lower supporting-piece, and a cap anda nut on the end of the bolt, substantially as set forth.

7. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedconical coils, of

tubes connecting the upper convolution of each coil with the lowerconvolution of the coil next below it, an outlet from the upperconvolution of the lowermost coil communicating with a regulator, aninlet from this regulator communicating with the lowest convolution of asuperheating conical coil situated at some point intermediate betweenthe uppermost and lowermost conical coils, and an outlet from thissuperheating conical coil, substantially as set forth.

8. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of superimposedsimilar conical coils, of tubes connecting the upper convolution of acoil with the lower. convolution of the coil next beneath it and actingalso as distance-pieces between the coils, distancepieces arrangedbetween the coils diametrically opposite to the connecting-tubes, anoutlet from the upper convolution of the lowermost coil communicatingwith a regulator, an inlet from this regulator communicating with thelowest convolution of a superheating conical coil situated at some pointintermediate between the uppermost and lowermost conical coils, and anoutlet from this superheating conical coil, substantially as set forth.

9. In a steam-generator, the combination with a series of similarsuperimposed conical coils, of tubes connecting the upper convolution ofa coil with the lower convolution of the coil next beneath it and alsoacting as distance-pieces between the coils, distancepiecesdiametrically opposite to the connecting-tubes, a supporting-piecebeneath the lowest coil, confining-plates bearing on the topmost coil, acap and a bolt passing through the lower supporting-piece, a cap and anut on the end of the bolt, an outlet from the upper convolution to thelowermost coil communicating with a regulator, an inlet from thisregulator communicating with the lowest convolution of a superheatingconical coil situated at some point intermediate between the uppermostand lowermost conical coils, and an outlet from this superheatingconical coil, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS CLARKSON. Witnesses:

JosEPrr LAKE, WILMER M. HARRIS.

